During the holiday season, seaside resorts in our English Rivera, Devon and Cornwall, especially seaside hotspots like Portsmouth, from where we used to take ferry to Isle of Wight, as well as Penzance, Isles of Scilly and Newquay, few amongst many towns and villages, are popular with British people.The climate is mild, people are friendly and for those who love sea food, such as lobsters, prawns and freshly caught fish with chips, not forgetting Cornish pies, it is an unparalleled gourmet heaven, an unique attractions for those Brits who are averse to taking overseas holidays.
Recently all these hotspots were in news for all the wrong reasons, especially attacks by sea-gulls, more like suka, a large predatory gull, on children, even adults who may be enjoying fish and chips or sandwiches in the open, on the beach. These food-snatchers have turned robbing visitors of their snacks, into art form, as these are protected birds. Recent headlines describing gulls as dog snatcher is some-what puzzling, considering that these are sea birds, have flat, webbed feet they use for paddling in water, not suitable for snatching small dog, although they do kill pigeons and other small mammals.
To snatch a dog they need talon, sharp claws predatory birds have and they include hawk, bald eagle, harrier, osprey, kestrel, falcon and few more. But with climate change, over fishing and destroying forest, these birds are changing their habitat and food source, sea birds could be found well inland.
Kumudini Valambia
By email
